Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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a 30,000-ton carrier can pitch and roll when she is traveling at 30 knots through heavy seas. Big Ben was off the Golden Gate at daybreak, February 2nd. Oakland suburbanites, rid- ing trains across the bridge to their work in San Francisco, were given the spectacle of a big flat-top, crew in ranks on deck, proudly steaming under the Oakland bridge. Before noon she was moored by the Naval Air Station in Alamada. Air Group Five, under Comdr. E. B. Parker, Jr., U. S. N.. was welcomed aboard. Some months before it had returned home after a long combat tour and was again on its way to the wars. Instead of Hellcats the pilots of Fighting Five, un- der Lt. Comdr. MacGregor Kilpatrick, flew swift Corsairs. Though the Corsair is somewhat faster than the Hellcat, and its gull wings give it beauty, it is a sore subject among fight- er pilots as to which is the better plane. Torpedo Five, com- manded by Lt. Comdr. Allan C. Edwards, flew Avengers: Bombing Five, under Lt. Comdr. John G. Sheridan, manned Helldivers. Nearly half of Air Group Five ' s pilots were of the U. S. Marine Corps, the first marine aviators aboard a large carrier for many years. By the mysterious grapevine among Navy wives, many were in San Francisco, scorning the scarcity of hotel rooms, for a last goodbye. Every officer and man that could be spared was granted shore leave February 6th. There was something fateful about that last evening; many who lost friends or loved ones on Big Ben have spoken of an over- powering feeling that these goodbyes were final. Some of the letters written home by men on the ship revealed the same premonition. The next day, February 7th, 1945, Franklin and her escorts stood west for Pearl Harbor. In the Chief Petty Officer ' s quarters, on the third deck, just abaft the sickbay, a traditional ceremony was perform- ed while Big Ben plowed west. Doctor Fox, long an honorary member of the Chief ' s Mess, and Lt. Philip Hathaway, him- self an ex-chief, with yeoman Don Forsythe, a press corre- spondent, helped initiate a dozen brand-new chief petty offi- cers. The ceremony ended only when the new chiefs were ready to return to the ranks. Beyond this, it was an unevent- ful crossing, and Franklin arrived in Pearl Harbor on Feb- ruary 12th, 1945. The Men W ho Kept Fighting Squadron FIVE in the Air FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: B. T. Flanagan, } ' 2c, C. Upton. AOMlc; L. A. If illetl, I ' RSc, C. W. Jon s, AOMlc; C. C. Chelelte, AOMlc, R. II . W askiewicz, AMM2c: W. L Wilson, AMMHlc, J. A. Knoules, AMM2c; R. 0. Ruehle, AMM c; SECOND ROW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Unknown — R. W . Hague, ARMlc; I. Light. ARMlc, Unknown — Unknown; M. Kilpatrick (CO.) C. G. Knight. Ylc; Unknown— Unknown — JF. . Johnson, AMMlc; C. F. Laivs. AMMlc; third ROW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: . M. McColluni, ACMM. L. G. Miller, Cf ' lioM: ' . P. Day, ACOM, N. Trepashko, ACRT ; J. If. Mc- Coy, ACM, C. T. Hamilton; F. Christianson, ACEM

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TOP; Don Forsyth. Lt. P. E. Ihilhaway. (both killed in (tction 19 March) and Chiff Frajman enjoy dinner ACOM Carl Orndorff as mess cook Gentry and I ' I ma assist hd I ' roeaeeio Chiefs: Unknown; Frujnuin, Aja (KIA); Petty; MacLunc (KIA); Parsons; Tyree; Kraft; Procaccio; RouUon (KIA); Howard Paul; Orndorff; Unknown; Unknown.

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C 11 A 1 ' T E K 1 E N . . . ive could have left her there, I guess . . . By all the rules they use in. this game she should h e sleeping noiv on the bottom off the coast of Japan. But some peojdc don ' t believe in all the rules . . . Our captain didnt ... THE SHIP THAT WOULDN ' T BE SUNK The vicioiis battle for Ivvo Jima was siihsicling — the Jap- anese commander liad sent his last message to the home- land: ' I expect to die here. ' Superforts, in massive forma- tion, were roaring through the stratosphere over the battered cities of the Jajianese liome islands. Once again news reports of the mighty task groups of the Fifth Fleet were lacking during one of the brief ])eriods of inactivity that portended awful consequences for the once-arrogant yellow men. Rig Ben daily ex])ected orders to up anchor and steam westward, tlank speed, to join the fleet. With the Philippines Cupluin Ltsli, ' E. Gehres, USN, Commanding Officer, USS Franklin, S ' oifmbcr 7th, 1944, to June 3nth. 194